If it makes you feel better MGK, Canada gets almost all the good cartoons a while before the US does. Crap, for that I’d agree not to air Chopped at all. But I’d agree to that anyway, because I’m so very sick of reality cooking shows.

Fair enough. But Iron Chef has more cheesiness and less judges wagging fingers at the chefs for not being able to invent a perfect dessert out of Scotch Bonnets and packing peanuts in 30 minutes. So I actually watch Iron Chef.

Would’ve disagreed with you about this being a strong season for How I Met Your Mother, but tonight’s ep was easily the best of the season and very good in general; HIMYM is at its best when plotted and scripted to the bursting point, and tonight was a prime example of such.

I think Chuck’s one saving grace is that its ratings while down are better than any new NBC show other than the Event- I mean its not like the network can plausibly say- “we can do better, screw a reasonably established audience”

Also, given that tonight’s Chuck had a commercial for the newest NBC series, School Pride, which is basically Extreme Makeover for schools, it doesn’t seem to me that NBC’s got much in the way of hour long series on the bench.

Chuck has finally scraped and clawed its way to the point, narratively speaking, where I feel it should have been in mid-season 1. Now they just need to tick off a few items:

1) Chuck can kick ass any time, all the time. If he can’t just flash and take out a bitch there better be a DAMN GOOD REASON. Buffy had an accepted level of combat ability that was rather high and yet the writers found plenty ways to challenge her without her going all “OMG I totally forgot how to fight and now I am all clumsy and nerdy for no reason, blerk!!”

2) We’ve almost got the whole cast in on the Big Secret, so let’s get Ellie on board already for fuck’s sake. Jeffster can stay oblivious.

3) Chuck & Sarah have been through 35,000 relationship crises, so ENOUGH. Maybe 1 a year, not every damned week.

4) No more “wacky” music during the “wacky” scenes so I know they’re “wacky”! IT’S PRETTY DAMNED OBVIOUS ALREADY.